Conventional vehicles with automatic transmissions have a transmission shifter assembly that translates user commands for transmission operation to the transmission. In modern vehicles, the shifters can be mechanically or electrically controlled. With mechanical systems a user moves a shift lever to a position that correlates with a transmission mode of operation (e.g., park (“P”), reverse (“R”), neutral (“N”), drive (“D”) and low drive (“L/M”)). The shifter assembly includes a shift gate with indentations that correspond to each lever position and transmission mode of operation. The user presses a button on the shift lever that releases a pawl-to-gate connection, the lever is free to move with respect to the shift gate and the user releases the button once the shift lever is in the intended position to lock the lever in place.
Overshoot of an intended shift position can occur when the user moves the shift lever too fast or too aggressively. Overshoot depends on the speed of the shift, how aggressive the user is when shifting, and how the release button is pressed. One U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0272216 titled, “Shift Selector Apparatus” teaches a shift assembly that manages shift overshoot by designing a shift path with a wide intermediate spatial break (or “bump zone”) that divides and first and second shift zone. This arrangement, however, requires significantly more space for the shifter assembly.
Other solutions involve creating an artificial feel of the shift event through changes to the shifter lever. Another published patent application includes a damper that provides resistance to movement of the lever in order to counterbalance faster movement of the shift lever—Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 03223566 titled “Shift Indicating Device for Automatic Transmission.” This design involves spring biasing the shift lever to resolve overshoot which can be complicated, require more parts and greater durability thresholds for those parts. Overshoot is more simply managed in the shift gate than in the shift lever as doing so does not compromise shift lever performance or feel.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a more compact, simpler shifter assembly that is configured to mitigate overshoot in the shift path in at least one direction.